I was reading the monthly newsletter from my local utility company (don’t laugh) and there was an article about phantom energy, which is generated from appliances when they are plugged in, but not being used. Anyway, they estimated that this extra energy cost about 13 additional dollars per year, and thus it was worth saving the energy (and money). For some reason I assumed, given how much it’s talked about, the cost to be a lot higher. I have to say, $13 doesn’t sound like a lot to me. Honestly, I can think of a lot of easier ways to save a mere dollar and change per month. From a conservationist standpoint reducing phantom energy is appealing; but for the average Joe who might be enticed from the money saving aspect, I think that there are a lot of easier ways to save a buck or two a month, that would be less inconvenient. While I think that all of that phantom energy multiplied by US households over a number of years would certainly make an impact, I don’t think that the trade-off would appeal to many people. I also think that there are so many other ways that people waste energy in the home (often for convenience or comfort) that would really make a bigger impact and for some might require the same amount of lifestyle adjustment as remembering to unplug or switch off all their electronic devices at night. It’s hard to say.